Philippine President Benigno Aquino finally said sorry to Hong Kong yesterday - not for the Manila hostage bloodbath but for forgetting the name of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, whom he met earlier this month.

Aquino stuck to his refusal to apologise to the hostage victims and their families, and admitted that fears of a legal backlash were a consideration. But he said some of the policemen who botched the rescue of Hongkongers from a hijacked tourist bus in Manila in 2010 could get harsher penalties.

Video: Philippine president: There will be no apologies for Hong Kong over bus hostage tragedy

The president's apology came during a foreign press forum in Manila when he was asked if, on the sidelines of the recent Asean summit in Brunei, he had discussed Hong Kong's concerns with Premier Li Keqiang .

Aquino rejected a China News Service report that Li had told him to find a way to resolve the dispute, saying: "I didn't talk to him about the Hong Kong issue.

"We talked in passing, as opposed to a formal bilateral meeting," he said, adding that most of the discussion had to do with disputes in the South China Sea.

"I talked to the chief executive of the SAR - I'm sorry and I apologise, the name escapes me at this point in time - wherein he explained their perspectives and I explained our perspectives."

I talked to the chief executive of the SAR - I'm sorry and I apologise, the name escapes me at this point in time

Asked if the possibility of a legal backlash was deterring him from formally apologising, he said: "That has to be a consideration." An apology would imply that the hostage-taking was an act of state, and "then the idea also of compensation comes in".

"Our position is that the act of one individual who was probably mentally unstable should not be construed as an act of the entire country. We offered again our condolences to all who suffered and died. But there are limitations from a legalistic point of view."

Still, Aquino said his government was serious about bringing closure to the issue.

"I think the … current thinking is to increase the penalties for several policemen involved."

However, he said ex-Manila mayor Alfredo Lim might escape punishment, though he left his post at a crucial time and his order to arrest hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza's brother unwittingly set off the killing frenzy. He said the police commander ultimately was responsible, since he could have ignored Lim's suggestions.

Separately, the Security Bureau said it had "initial contact" with Manila City Council member Bernardito Ang, representing mayor Joseph Estrada, about arranging a meeting with bureau officials to apologise to the victims' families and survivors.

Ang said the city legislature was "sincere" in apologising regardless of what the Manila did.

"This incident took place in Manila. If something happened in Hong Kong, the central government wouldn't apologise."

This is a private matter initiated by the victims' families and stirred up by our stupid CY who desperately wants to raise his popularity, but only got ultimate humiliation for himself and for HK instead.

onedistrict Oct 24th 201312:52am

Politically, it's a snub !

clc2 Oct 24th 20138:45pm

If more people had kept their mouths shut at the point when this first happened, there might have been an apology. Making an apology from under a mountain of manure that has been thrown from HK makes that unlikely.

cardcardso@****** Oct 24th 20133:47pm

Aquino is cheeky. However, forgetting the Wolf's name doesn't infuriate HKer since the wolf is the most despicable creature in HK.

alpot_scmp Oct 24th 20137:18am

SCMP has this almost daily negative news of Aquino. Now I am convinced that they are being paid for by the HK government.

Artline500 Oct 25th 20136:48am

That is not a comment that you should magnify 10 times. At the most the SCMP should merely have directly quoted Aquino, we are not stupid. It should definitely not be repeated nor highlighted let alone placed in a headline. This makes your newspaper not just look third rate, it means it is third rate. I am not Filippino, but I am an American, and those two things are almost the same, not in sovereignty, but in our hearts and minds.